Preparations

I’m dizzy with excitement, and filled with a small measure of dread at the amount of stuff that will need to be made in this next four months, squeezing in all the extra knitting needles between our regular orders – which have not slowed down.

Ed made a batch of circular needles for several orders this week. It’s my duty pleasure to write the size, etc on them. Those are centimeters on the ruler, I use a Susan Bates needle/hook plate (ruler) to help keep my writing more uniform – impossible on a round surface that’s only 2.25mm in diameter! The file is extremely fine – it’s used for any fine-tuning that might need doing to make the join between the cord and wood as smooth as we can make it. As careful as Ed is when he joins the two there are sometimes minute catches. Do you see the size on that baby? Until a few months ago Ed was not able to successfully turn a US1/2.25mm needle on his lathe without it exploding. His skills are amazing! I seriously do not believe there are many people on this planet who can consistently turn a 5.5″ long piece of wood that is only 2.25 mm. Let alone drill a hole in one end for the cord without drilling through the side.

You all know I’m one of the world’s slowest knitters, but I still fantasize of knitting socks, light shirts, maybe weaving material for a skirt. Hello? With tax bookwork to do (haven’t started – never mind that one hour spent organizing last years bank statements), weaving a wrap for our daughter’s wedding, and finding something suitable to wear for that, a garden that must be planted and tended. Do I need any sleep?

My body thinks so. That cold I mentioned lingering for two weeks. Yep. Still lingering. Most of the week I felt almost normal. Until Friday morning, when I woke up with a scrathy throat again. By evening the sinus were sqeezing my head. Yesterday morning my chest felt almost on fire. I laid low today, except for plying some yarn I spun earlier, knowing there are many orders that must be processed and mailed tomorrow.

You see, I took Friday away from work. Aurora and I had an appointment to keep.

Silver Falls Vineyards is where Aurora and Grassman plan to be married the end of May. By then the senses should be dazzled by the greens of the grass, vineyard, trees and many variety of shrubs, and the scent of early roses.

After taking a tour of the place and talking with the owner about facilities and other arrangements MC joined me for a trip across the valley to Woodland Woolworks. It’s a fabulous place to find all kinds of fiber goods, including weaving yarns, spinning fiber, looms and other tools that goes along with fiber activities. I’d forgotten how far away it is, along broad farm fields, across the Willamette River, through valleys winding around the hills between Portland and the Coastal Range, finally popping out in the small town of Carlton. But well worth the trip when in pursuit of the right combination of yarns to make the special wedding wrap, made even more enjoyable with MC along for the ride.

This week brought two delightful surprises in the form of packages.

The second package came from Sweden, a Moleskine that has now traveled from the Canada to Germany to Sweden, after it leaves my hands it will continue on to Texas, then Tasmania, to New York. Florida, on to California then back to Canada to complete the circle. You see, I joined The International Moleskine Exchange on Ravelry. Go ahead, click over to the IME site and take a look at the pictures of various entries on the Spoiler Picture thread. This is the first group exchange I was not able to resist when I saw it the day it was formed. I have loved writing in diaries and journals since a young age. There’s also been a hankering to try my hand at being a bit creative on paper. It’s been daunting, stretching and good fun. There are nine in my group, we each sent out a moley on the nine stop circuit and everyone adds to it as it comes. The sender in Sweden, Greysparrow included tea and chocolate with the moley last month.

One was a total surprise from a dear blogger who so thoughtfully and lovingly knit me a red Swallowtail Shawl! I was (still am) stunned and touched to the depths of my soul that she put all that time, effort and love into such a fabulous gift. Accompanied by dark chocolate, tea, (Very good things to help soothe this cold bug. 🙂 ), natural shampoo, felted slippers for Feather – do I feel spoiled? Though distance has prevented us from meeting in real life, we are kindred sisters of the heart. Thank You!

Advertisements

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Author: Wanda J

I never dreamed my life would be entangled with fiber and the tools used to produce fibery items. When I bought a boat shuttle Ed looked at it, decided to make a better one and the rest is history. For a decade he made shuttles, crochet hooks, knitting needles, until his spindles became so popular that he had to devote his time to making them, as well as Great Wheels.
Free time is spent reading, trying to coax food from the ground, and playing in the creek near our place. I love long walks and camping far from crowds. Playing my fiddle beside a stream or with good friends brings sweetness to my soul.
Sundays we try to set aside for worshiping God with our small Quaker meeting.
View all posts by Wanda J

10 thoughts on “Preparations”

Dear Wanda, congratulations on the Sock Summit, how exciting, at the moment I know just how you feel, wondering how I will manage to fit in extra dyeing for a large fibre festival where I will be a vendor in June. I am also suffering with a persistant cough/chest thing that I just can’t seem to shake off at the moment. The setting for the wedding looks fabulous, and I shall look forward to seeing the wedding wrap, hoping you will have a little time to show us it as it progresses, or when it is done!

Oh YAY! Sock Summit! that is SO exciting!!!! and mercy yes, a lot of work to be done in preparation but YAY!!!!!
The IME sounds like fun, I can see how you couldn’t resist :^)
Sorry about that dratted virus, I do believe I had its twin, as did Gracie, and it seems like it took forever to get through it, that plus I’m thinking it came back to bite us the second time. Someday soon you’ll wake up and realize it’s no longer with you, oh happy day. I hope that day comes SOON for you.
That’s a lovely spot for a Wedding :^) and yes, looking forward to seeing the wrap.
I meant to tell you, it was knit using the US5 Osage Orange circ, what beautiful needles and every time I looked at your penmanship I’d be amazed, over and over. I was so excited and thrilled to have your ST be their ‘Maiden Voyage’. hee.
XOXOX

Wanda, This is an amazing post! Wedding venue is beautiful! The work you do is incredible! I’m in awe of your and Ed’s ability to produce the needles. Then TWO packages! I’ll have to look up the moleskine exchange. Oh, please, please, post of photo of the ST shawl! What a queenly gift.
Blessings to you and how I wish I could ALSO attend Sock Summit! So much yarn, so little time!

Yippee!! I’ll see you there, because I’m definitely going 🙂 I love hearing about your packages — the Moleskine exchange sounds wonderful; I’m resisting signing up instantaneously, although it’s right up my alley. And the swallowtail sounds like just what you need right now. Feel better soon 🙂

Wow, this is going to be a very busy time for you and Ed! Just planning for a wedding is quite a lot of work. The venue looks lovely. I’m sure you are right about Ed, he is uniquely talented on this earth. His beautiful needles definitely belong at the Sock Summit. Wish I could go, but it’s not going to happen.(sigh).

Sorry about the chest thingy…I don’t think they really go away until the weather stays above 60 degrees for more than a week…at least in our county.
Could you hire Tom Thumb to write the tiny letters? You do such a great job, though…I love that feature.
Hang in there and enjoy the wedding preps.
Isn’t Woodland Wool Works fun???

Congratulations 🙂 and it sounds like you are going to be super busy ;just wish I could visit this amazing event .
WOW I am so impressed with your beloveds woodworking abilities plus yours in wrting so beautifully on such a small needle 🙂
What a lovely setting for a wedding and I am with you on wanting to create so many thinks but being so slow at it.
Thats why I loved the silk paper making as it was quick and so simple
Its pretty much the same as felting really and placing the finished piece over a shape to dry, have you done any of that ? You lay the silk on netting in layers fold over netting and wet thoroughly with water . Then mop exess up and use wallpaper paste to paint over the laid out silk and you can add all sorts of things like leaves etc . The photos I took really didn’t do justice to the colours etc . I have great plans for book covers and lampshades . IF I get the time 😉